Kingdom Hearts: Two Ropes Tied in a Knot
by baby-chaan
Summary: There are many worlds, but they share the same sky. Two ropes, tied into one knot-Shana and Rie's. An original character collaboration story. Also includes Kingdom Hearts Characters.
1. Prologue

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**Kingdom Hearts: Two Ropes Tied in a Knot**

"_Rain. It's where it all started..._"

_Prologue_

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_**  


**[R]**

It was raining. The lightning crackled as its light revealed a dark figure. She was walking in the rain, although it's as if the rain couldn't even touch her skin. It looked like she was looking for something, her head turning, her eyes foreshadowed, her dress swaying with her every step.

A dark portal appeared, and out came another figure. Her stance changed, her hand crawling towards one of her weapons. The other figure had much darker hair, its ends extending upwards, forming a spiky crown around his head. His face was lowered, but not too low to cover his spiteful grin. She looked at him, her eyes tinted with electrified blue.

"Tell me, why are you here?"

He tilted up his head at the sound of her voice. He looked at her, his eyes colored with a fiery shade of gold. He replied with his rough voice, his pale lips forming his words. The lightning pealed across the dark horizon.

...

"I know, where it is, Rie."

"Where is it, then?" she said, her eyes observing his.

"What do I care?" he laughed at her.

"Where is it?" she asked one more time. Another lightning struck and she was already in front of him. Her voice was different, tougher than before.

"Easy there, witchie." he said, looking at her. And still not losing his grin.

"First thing's first. Give me what I want and I'll give yours."

"I don't like making deals with you, Vanitas."

"Think about it, Rie." he responded with his calm voice. Then, he opened another portal and began to step inside.

"All I need is another keyblade wielder."

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**********[S]**

It was raining.

Every drop of the rain just reminded her of the things she didn't like. The things that hurt her. The things that separated her from being happy.

Those things that started it all.

_Drop._

"SHANA? SHANA?"

_Drop._

"G-grandpa? I-is that you?"

"Shana, wherever you are, don't go out of your room okay?"

_Drop._

"W-why?"

The little girl held the doorknob with shaky hands and opened the door only to see her grandfather being held tightly by another old-looking bald man with short white beard who wore a dark cloak. He was attempting to wring the neck of her grandfather but her he was just as strong as he tried to be, for her.

_Drop._

"Ansem, TELL ME WHERE THE GIRL IS or you'll die!"

"I'd rather die than give what is most precious to me, Xehanort."

The man, who was addressed as Xehanort, tightened his grip and threw the old man to the aisle. Shana gasped.

"RUN SHANA, RUUUN!" Her grandfather cried.

At this the mysteriously unwanted man caught sight of the little helpless girl running for her life even though she didn't want to.

He chased after the girl but lost her eventually.

_Drop. Drip._

_Drop. Drip,_

_Drop drip drop drip drop._

The rain became heavier.

Shana almost slipped with every step she took.

She ran into the woods and hid under the shade of an oak tree, the moonlight streaking between the strands of her wet brunette hair.

She wept. She cried. She had never been hurt like this before.

She wanted to protect the people she loved. "I couldn't protect my mom. I couldn't protect my Dad, and now my grandfather?" She sniffed and wiped her tears that didn't stop falling. "I want to protect the people around me. If only there was some way. A weapon..."

Just then a flash of light appeared in front of her.

Her eyes widened in confusion.

"..A... key?

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**Sapph:** Well there you have it. The prologue chapter of this upcoming Kingdom Hearts OC (Original Character) story collaborated by none other than me (Baby-Sapphire) and RiMi-chan. Hope you like it. Rate and Review. I'd love to hear what you guys think. Thanks! :D


	2. Two Strangers One School

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Kingdom Hearts: Two Ropes Tied in a Knot

"_Two strangers. One school."_

_Chapter 1_

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Rie woke up in her new apartment. She rolled over the sheets and gazed at her alarm clock, which appeared to show the exact time of the day. Well, it was a clock after all.

**9:30 a.m.**

Her eyes widened at the sight of this then she hastily got up and went into the bathroom.

It was Monday morning and she's already late for school. She groaned in irritation as she remembered why she's going to school, in the first place.

_..._

_"Well, do you have any idea where this keyblade wielder is?" she placed her arms across her chest._

_"It's for me to know and you to find out." Vanitas grinned._

_"Fine. Then, I won't find him for you." Rie stiffened her stance and rolled her eyes._

_"Very well then. No spell book for you." he teased back. After a few minutes of silence..._

_**"**__UGH! I can't TAKE THIS anymore!__**"**__ the black haired spell caster screamed in front of Vanitas,_

_"Just tell me the place and I'll track him down!"_

_"Okay. Fine, fine." Vanitas pushed Rie away from his face._

_"Destiny Islands, she's there."_

_Without further argument, Rie walked away and opened a portal towards that said place._

_"Why do you want __**it **__so bad?" Vanitas asked as he placed his hands at the back of his neck._

_"That's none of your business." she simply replied then she entered the portal._

_..._

"That Vanitas just pisses me off!" Rie bit her sandwich after she finished dressing up and got her bag. She then got her keys, locked her door and walked through the streets of Destiny Islands.

As she was walking, she noticed a lot of things; the town's very peaceful, no sign of heartless or nobodies anywhere, just ordinary people. So, that means no enemies for a while. It's a good thing she can take a break from all that "work".

_But, I only have 5 more months until the deadline!_

The thought of it made her grip the sandwich she was eating, causing a finger hole on the bread. She was looking for a spell book which contains the_ Libertas Spell _that would break the careless contract she made with someone as despicable as Vanitas. So that she won't be bounded in the darkness anymore and she'll be able to move onto the light.

Vanitas said he knows where it was, but he first set a deal. Rie can know where it is but she needs to give Vanitas a keyblade wielder, first. And that keyblade wielder is in Destiny Islands. But since, most of Destiny Islands' population count are youths, Rie figured out that if she entered their school, she might be able to find him...

Or was it a _she?_

Rie stopped walking.

"What did Vanitas said, what did Vanitas said, what did that Vanitas said.." she chanted to make herself remember what did Vanitas told her back then.

_..._

_"Destiny Islands, she's there." Vanitas's voice echoed._

...

"Oh, right." she then continued walking with a refreshed memory inside her head.

And yes, she's utterly determined to do anything it takes to reach that book.

Whatever it may cost.

Absentmindedly turning a corner, Rie noticed that she's facing a dead end already. She turned around and walked out of the small alley, facing an intersection with a blank sense of direction.

"Eh? Which way is it again..." she muttered out as she placed her fingers on her forehead.

"Maybe I should draw a map sometime.."

...

"Uhm, excuse me," a voice mumbled behind her. Rie removed her fingers from her forehead and saw a brunette girl with a small pink ribbon clip decorating her plain layered hair.

"If you're looking for Destiny High, it's that way."

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**[S]**

"O-oh, thanks," said Rie, a bit startled. She looked at the girl from head to toe.

"Hi. I'm Shanara Kimika. You can call me Shana." The girl known as Shana smiled and let out her hand to shake.

"Hi," Rie just nodded without shaking Shana's hands. "Thanks again."

And with that, Rie walked towards the road to the school. Shana just stood there, feeling rejected. She sighed.

"I guess making friends is going to be harder than I thought." She adjusted her clip as she walked towards the entrance of the school.

The school was huge, filled with a lot of different students. Most came from the Destiny Islands. But the others came from other towns, or '_worlds' _as others would have described it. Shana walked into the hallways and looked around. There are a lot of ups and downs in the school and a lot of turns. It's like a maze inside there!

"Where's the high school sophomore office again?" She asked herself as she climbed up the stairs. She turned right to where the tiles were glossy white and royal violet.

"Umm, excuse me," a blonde-haired boy taller than her poked her on the back. His hair was spiky, almost like defying gravity. He was standing together with another spiky-haired guy, only, his hair was black, and he has few strands of hair that stands on his forehead to make a fancy look.

"U-uhh.. yes?" Shana looked at the two tall good-looking boys especially the blonde one with wide eyes.

'_He looks familiar….' _ Shana thought. _'…and cute. I could just stare at his deep blue ey—'_

"Well—"

"Well you look pretty small for a senior," the black-haired guy gave a little laugh and winked at her, not minding that he just interrupted his best friend.

"U-uhh, actually, I'm a sophomore." Shana answered, a little taken aback for the his term 'small.'

"A sophomore? Goodness, you're in the wrong section. This is the senior's hallway. The sophomore's section is downstairs, don't you know?" He seemed surprised. Shana had come a long way just for finding the school sophomore office.

"Uh, no. S-sorry." She said, a little embarrassed.

"You must be new." Said the blonde-haired guy while inspecting her being.

"Oh, you must be new then." The other guy reiterated.

"That's what I said." The other rolled his eyes.

"Well, to get there, first you go downstairs, you just turn left for the second hallway and right, aaaand…"

"And then you turn left—"

"then turn left and, you go downstairs again… And then you're there!"

"U-uhh.." 'WHAT? How am I supposed to know if I'm there already?' Shana said to herself, already in panic.

"Don't worry, you'll know it when the tiles are yellow. It's for sophomores." He said with a wink.

'_Ohhhh, right. I knew that.' _Shana thought, as if he already read her mind.

"Anyway, it's nice to meet you. I'm Zack. And this here's Cloud. He doesn't talk much."

"Well I would if you wouldn't cut me off everytime I—"

"And hey, we gotta go. See you around!" Zack gave a friendly goodbye wave and Cloud tried to give one when Zack pushed him playfully to the hallway.

"Thanks!" Shana managed to blurt out before Cloud and Zack disappeared.

"Cloud? He really _does_ look familiar."

She looked at the clock at the end of the senior's hallway.

"5 minutes before eight? You gotta be kidding me!" Shana rushed down the stairs and followed the directions. She got their safe, at least.

"3 minutes left." She panted heavily while carrying her bag.

Good thing the hallway was still full of students.

She spotted another spiky blonde-haired boy. She poked him hesitantly on his back.

"Umm, excuse me, but where is the sophomore office?"

The boy stared at her for a while.

He didn't talk.

He just slightly laughed.

"U-uhh."

'_Okay, this is getting a little awkward.'_

'_And what is Cloud doing here? I thought I just saw him a while ago.'_

Finally, the boy pointed at the door on his right.

"Umm, it's right here."

It read: **High School Sophomore Office**

"O-oh! Ahaha, silly me. Thanks, umm.. Cloud!" Shana said gratefully, a bit embarrassed.

"Oh no no, I'm not cloud." He said smiling. "I'm his brother, Roxas."

'_Roxas?'_

"Oh. Sorry about that. It's just that you two look exactly alike. Except, he's taller and spikier."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." He scratched the back of his head.

"I'm Shanara Kimika. You can call me Shana." Shana happily introduced herself. She doesn't know why but she seemed comfortable with the guy before her.

"Shana? Now, where have I heard that name before?" Roxas thought about for a second.

"Umm, I-I don't know. Maybe the sign about new students or somethi—"

"SHANA! I remember!"

"H-huh?"

"Shana, it's me Roxas! You know, your childhood friend? You're bestest buddy!" He punched Shana slightly on her arm "R-Roxas?" Shana looked at him from head to toe, and from toe to head. She recalled his blonde spiky hair that's been bothering her for a while. Yep, it's Roxas alright.

"Roxas!" Shana gave a friendly hug. _'So that's why Cloud seems so familiar'_

"Roxas," Shana let go from Roxas' arms. "How are yo—"

Just then the school bell rang, signaling that the first period is about to start.

"Sorry Shana, I gotta go. Just get your schedule at the office, kay? I'll see you at lunch!"

"Oh, okay!" She shouted.

Shana got her schedule and put her other things in her locker.

She held the doorknob, then she breathed in before she opened the door to her classroom.

"This is going to be a new start,"

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**[R] **stands for "Rie" as that part of the story tells more about her point of view.

and obviously, **[S] **stands for Shana as the story tells more about her point of view.


	3. A little magic spell for a late girl

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**Kingdom Hearts: Two Ropes Tied in a Knot**

"_Bippity Boppity Boo. T__his magic spell is for you._

_If you don't want to get caught. Better be prompt."_

_Chapter 2_

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**[R]**

"You're late." said the math teacher who had a pair of glasses that stared along with her black eyes and short black hair. Tense.

"O-Oh, s-sorry Sensei…" Shana bowed her head in embarrassment.

"Very well then," the teacher continued,

"You're the new student, right? Please introduce yourself."

The dark brunette-haired girl walked in the center front of the classroom and started to speak although she was still embarrassed about being late, sometimes she just can't get over those things easily, "Hi. I-I am uhh, S-Shanara Kimika, 14 years old, a-and…just moved to Destiny Islands."

"Oh, so you're really new here at Destiny Islands?"

"Yes," She answered politely.

"Well, it's nice to have you here. But next time please avoid tardiness. I don't want you to miss any of my lessons even just for a second. I guess you don't want to flunk math like the others here," said the teacher as she looked at one of the students. Shana noticed that some brunette guy flinched at the teacher's stare but she didn't mind.

"Yes, sensei and nice to meet you all too," Shana greeted back.

"Okay. Take that seat beside Miss Koemi over there." Miss Arai pointed the seat beside a fellow black haired teen who was also sitting beside another brunette. Shana obediently nodded and took her seat.

"As you can see," Miss Arai started as she took her piece of white chalk and wrote some number drills.

Rie rolled her eyes as she placed her palm on her chin and stared at the teacher.

_'Options, options, options.'_ Even during class, her mind was still on the book. She had no time to waste, but it seems that time was about to waste her.

_'Be a hardworking student? Or a laid back type and focus on finding the wielder? I can just put a spell on the test papers. But, that would make people suspicious. Ugh. What am I suppose to d-'_

"Psst." her thoughts were driven back by a brunette seatmate poking her shoulder.

"Do you know square root of 529?" he pointed at the chalkboard.

Rie looked at him, her eyes widening.

"V-Vanitas?"

"Huh? What Vanita-"

"Mr. Kiirohoshii," Miss Arai propped her glasses up, pointing at the certain questionnaire,

"We will start by answering a few radical exercises. What is the square root of 529, Mr. Kiirohoshii?"

"U-Uhhm.." the spiky brunette nervously muttered and you can just figure out that he's blank of answers. Rie stared at the guy,

_'Oh. I thought he was Vanitas.'_

Rie looked at her other seatmate, another brunette who was also answering the radical. And to her surprise, she just finished it in seconds, effortlessly done. Her name was Shana, like she said earlier.

_'She looks pretty… normal?'_

"What is it, Mr. Kiirohoshii? No answers?" Ms. Arai asked as she faced the chalkboard again and started writing some notes.

"U-Uhh," the guy scratched his head.

_"Pone responsum."***** _Rie mumbled softly as she closed her eyes and remembered how she was complaining about the book this morning. It's like a trade off, one spell for one memory. That's why sometimes she just forgets things. Although she just ignores the fact that someday she would die without memories.

"Ah! Sensei!" The guy blurted out,

"It's 33!"

"Eh?" Rie's eyes opened,

"But I…"

"Sorry, Mr. Kiirohoshii. But that's a very good guess." Miss Arai smiled lightly at her student's effort,

"You may take your seat."

Miss Arai then wrote the answer, a simple 2 and 3.

_'But, I thought I placed 23 in his head…'_

"That was close..." the brunette sank back to his chair as he placed his hands on the back of his neck.

"That couldn't be right..." Rie said quietly, scratching her cheek. How can she fail in that simple task? There must be something wrong. Yes, he looked pretty much like Vanitas. How is that? Ugh. Too many questions.

"Hey," he poked her shoulder again.

"You alright?"

"I don't remember…"

"What? What do you mean-"

"Oh, no. Don't mind me, please." Rie scanned her notebook where she kept her written memory, just in case she forgets something important, which to her seatmate, looked blank.

But to her, it had a hundred words written all over it.

The brunette guy sighed in confusion.

"What's your name?" Rie asked, out of the blue. Maybe that piece of information can help.

"It's Sora Kiirohoshii. You can call me Sora, if you want." he said, smiling.

"Oh. So, your name's… Sora." she wrote the four-letter word down on that black notebook. As well as the words: brunette, blue eyes, seatmate and square root of 529.

"Why do you need to write that?" Sora asked, looking at the notebook. And now, the only thing visible was his own name.

Rie closed her notebook,

"'Cause you seem like a pretty good person, after all."

"Okay, class! Remember to bring your graphing papers tomorrow!"

"Yes, Arai-sensei!"

"Class dismissed." Miss Arai said to her new class. Every year still got better, she kept that in mind.

"Hey, so you're name's Koemi?" Rie's other seatmate waved at her.

"Y-Yeah," Rie managed to reply as she fixed her things for her next class.

"Don't you remember me?"

Rie looked at her; brown hair, green eyes and ribbon on her hair.

"Uhh. I think so."

The girl frowned.

"Okay then. I'll just formally introduce myself. I'm Shanara Kimika." she offered her hand once again as she showed Rie one of her smiles.

"Rie Koemi." the black haired girl shook Shana's hand. Maybe because it reminded her of something that happened awhile ago. Or maybe she was just too kind to resist.

"Well, see you around!" Shana waved goodbye and went out of the math classroom.

...

"Oh. Miss Rie." Miss Arai was still there, fixing her bag in preparation for the next class. Rie walked towards the math teacher in response.

"I see that you've made friends with Mr. Kiirohoshii and Miss Kimika already. But that doesn't mean that you have to talk to Mr. Kiirohoshii every now and then, alright?" Miss Arai placed her hands on her hips.

"Yes, Sensei." Rie replied.

"That's all. You can go to your next class." Miss Arai smiled as Rie nodded and walked to the door. As the door itself slid open,

"Miss Arai! Here's your paper—Ahh!" the pile of freshly printed papers flew around the whole room.

"Oh, dear." Miss Arai knelt down and picked up the papers.

Rie blinked a few more times before she realized she had to help pick up the other scattered papers.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Arai." the girl Rie bumped into said, frowning a little bit.

"It's my fault…" Rie murmured as she placed the collected papers into the girl's hands. She stared at her. The girl had short black hair too, like Miss Arai, and, she had soft black eyes.

"Nah. It's fine." the girl smiled at Rie.

…

_'Where have I seen that smile before?_

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**[S]**

Shana walked through the hallway and stepped on the glassy white and green tiles. The lockers were tinted with mostly lime green colors and other shades of green. The students in the hallway were shorter than her and some were taller. And she could still smell the aroma of middle school graduates.

"The freshmen hallway," She said as she rolled her eyes. "I guess I'm lost again."

"Hm, let's see." She placed her hand on her chin as if she was an explorer at her own school. All she needed was a map, but of course she hasn't got one. She turned left and went upstairs just as the school bell rang for the fourth period before lunch.

"Oh no, I'm going to be late agai—" Shana bumped into another person taller than her, her things falling down the floor.

"S-sorry," she managed to say as she picked up her things on the floor.

The boy who she bumped to helped her. She stood up and looked at him.

"Be careful next time," He said with a blank expression on his face.

Shana observed him, _'Silvery white hair, cerulean green eyes, and… a ribbon wrapped around his body from shoulder to hip? Oh wait, there's something written on it.' _She narrowed her eyes further.

"S-sophomore hall monitor." She mumbled to herself. _'HALL MONITOR? Shoot, I'm in deep trouble.'_

"U-uhh, thanks! I gotta go." Shana rushed beside the guy before her and decided to leave until—

"Wait!" He called out. Shana closed her eyes tightly. "You're… Shana right?"

"U-uhh yes," said Shana still facing her back on him. She opened her eyes hoping for a consideration for whatever she has done wrong.

"Oh, so you're the late girl?" Shana flinched and rolled her eyes at the term 'late' and finally faced him.

"Yes, and you are?"

"Senou, Riku, the sophomore's temporary hall monitor. I forgot to give you a penalty for being late awhile ago. So here." He wrote something on the paper he's holding and handed it to Shana.

"See you at detention." The boy named Riku brushed by her and left for next class.

"W-whaa—?" Shana just stood there dumbfounded. She can't believe she got detention on the first day of school! The school bell rang again signaling the next period is starting. Only few cramming students were seen in the hallway. Shana rushed to find her room. Then she entered the class.

"You're late," said a young black-haired lady standing in front. "Shanara Kimika, right?"

"Y-yes." Shana's cheeks became hotter—hotter than the last time.

"The late girl…" Someone whispered. Shana's eyes scanned the room only to find the boy she just ran to a while ago.

"Riku…" Her eyes narrowed at him.

"You're the new student, right? Just be aware of the time, okay?" said the kind teacher.

"S-sorry I was late sensei." She apologized politely and took a seat. Unfortunately, the only seat available was beside the silver-haired guy named Riku._ 'Why is there even a chair beside him?' _She rolled her eyes as she sat down on her chair and hung her bag at the edge.

"Late again I suppose?" Riku asked with a smirk.

"Well, what do you think?" She said without even looking at him.

"Hm, tough girl." Shana raised her eyebrow at Riku's remark.

"Whatever," she mumbled to herself.

Shana shook her head and to focus on what their teacher was saying. "As you can see class, Biology is…"

"Shana." Someone called out to her. She was startled. She searched for that voice but she couldn' find it.

'_Is Riku… calling me?'_

"Uhh, Shana." He called again. Shana tried to keep her head straight but every time she tried to take a glance on Riku she catches him looking at her._ 'How am I supposed to listen to the teacher when someone is staring at me like FOREVER?'_

"Shana." Shana couldn't take it any longer. She finally faced Riku and shouted, "WHAT RIKU? What do you want to tell me?" Her voice was loud—loud enough to be heard across the room.

"Excuse me Ms. Kimika but is there anything you want to say?"

"U-uhh, n-no, i-it's just that, uhh… " She shot a glare at Riku who just shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't say anything and I wasn't even the one who was calling you. Oh and by the way, your things are all scattered on the floor. I was looking at it a while ago and was waiting for you to notice."

'_shoot! I left my bag unzipped.'_

"I'm sorry miss, I-I was just fixing my things and Riku..." She made an excuse.

"Well, don't talk while I'm teaching. You all know my motto, there is a time for everything." The teacher continued her lecture but Shana's eyes were still fixed on Riku. She rolled her eyes at him. She doesn't have time for this.

As she was about to pick up her things, her gaze fell upon a spiky black-haired boy at her back. He was whispering something under his breath, and that's where Shana heard her name. The boy kept repeating her name as if he was remembering something. When she finally got her things, she placed it inside her bag and returned to her seat.

But at the back she can still hear his voice whispering to itself.

"_Shana… Why does her name seem so familiar?"_

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**RiMi: *** _Pone Responsum_ is the Latin translation of "put the answer".


	4. A Research and a Flashback

_•__-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•_-•

**Kingdom Hearts: Two Ropes Tied in a Knot**

_"A little research and a flashback_

_Can give you the next clue...__"_

_Chapter 3_

_•__-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•_-•

**[R]**

..

"Hey." a voice reached Rie as she walked out of the math classroom.

"Hm?"

"Do you want to have lunch with us later?" Sora asked, his eyes couldn't hide his simple anticipation.

"Huh?" Rie looked at him.

"Lunch. Later." he smiled. Rie's grip on her backpack tightened.

"Sorry. I can't." she lowered her head and walked away.

"Excuse me."

Rie headed straight towards her next class, not even bothered about what happened earlier. She was busy. They didn't know that.

She took a seat at the back, dropped her bag on her side and got her books out. She opened her black notebook and began to write.

_Clouds of blur, haste followed her._

_Carrying the worlds, fixing the wounds._

_He was yours, the answers were hers._

A guy sat on the empty seat next to her, she didn't mind. Rie continued to write.

_The end is near. The present's too dear._

_What to do? Just stick it with glue._

She glanced at her seatmate - spiky black hair.

"Vani - ?"

The boy turned his face to call his other classmate. He had blue eyes. It wasn't gold, like what Vanitas had.

It wasn't _him._

"Hey, Roxas!" the mistaken guy had a smile across his face.

"What's up?" the other guy called Roxas gave him a high-five. Rie rolled her eyes and sighed.

_Remembering you, out of the blue._

After English, there goes lunch break. Rie fed a dollar to the vending machine and it blurted out a small strawberry milk carton. She hit the attached straw on the semi-permeable hole on the carton and gave a sip or two. She stared at the huge bulletin map attached on the wall and specifically paid attention to the direction towards the west part. Without much further ado and another sip of strawberry creaminess, she walked upstairs.

"Shouldn't you be in the canteen?" the school library was empty except for 3 people. One was the librarian and the other, was the temporary hall monitor.

"I shoot you back the same question." Rie was at the yearbook part of the library, browsing last year's batch, too busy to even look at the person questioning her. She didn't want to waste any more time. Time was too precious, even for her.

"Hmph." Riku received her message and just decided to leave her like she wanted it to be.

...

"You're Senou, right?" Rie looked at him while closing the yearbook in her hands.

"How did you know?" he turned around, his eyeglasses framing his pale face.

"Yearbook." she flashed him a fast, small smile as she returned the book in the shelves and moved on to the other aisle.

"New girl, huh." Riku murmured as he watched her walk away for a second and went back to his own business.

•-_•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•_-•

**[S]**

The school bell rang, signalling that it's time for lunch. As soon as Shana placed her things inside her bag, she dashed for the door where every student in the room was heading. She went out the classroom and narrowed her eyes to search for someone she could hang out with, even just for lunch. The hallways were pretty crowded. The air was filled with people who kept chattering with each other and voices calling out the names of their friends. At this rate, Shana wasn't sure who to call. She thought about the girl she wanted to be friends with but she hardly even knew her.

Shana's been stuck in her hometown, Radiant Gardens, for how many years. The last time she ever stepped foot on a school was when she was in kindergarten, and the only friend she became close with was,

"Roxas. Where's Roxas?" She started eyeing for the blonde-haired guy she's been with since toddler days. She kept looking for him among the crowds but she can't find him. She walked further into the sea of the usually noisy students.

"Hmm… Black spikes, Red spikes, Brunette spikes, and… oh! Oh wait, I thought that was him." She looked at her left and finally saw him talking to another brunette guy. She tried to call out when a boy bumped her, hard.

"D'aww!" They both said in unison while rubbing their forehead.

"Watch where you're going, would ya?"

"O-oh s-sorry," Shana looked up to the guy who blocked her way.

_Black spiky hair._

_Yellow golden eyes._

_Smooth brown skin._

And a frowning face.

He didn't seem friendly. Shana almost felt a different vibe just by looking at him. And it wasn't that good. Was it because? _'No. Impossible. It can't be.'_

It was raining. Every drop of water just showed how much pain she kept in her heart. Nevertheless she kept running for her life, or so her grandfather told her to.

"RUN SHANA! RUUUUUNN!"

She ran outside and headed to the deepest part of the forest. Even though she didn't want to, what else can she do? It's not like she can fight back to the man whom his grandfather Ansem called 'Xehanort.' What power does she even have? Just as she was about to find shelter, she bumped into something that didn't feel right. She looked up expecting it was just a tree, only to find out it wasn't actually a _thing. _But rather a person.

_Black spiky hair._

_Yellow golden eyes._

_Smooth brown skin._

His aura was as mysterious as a black cat roaming around in the night.

He held out his hands to help her. But Shana wasn't sure if that was really his motive.

At her own instinct, she stood by herself and asked furiously, "W-Who are you?"

"Oh come on now, I was just trying to help you. Try to be a little good girl."

The streak of light from the moon showed the smirk on his face. He didn't answer.

"What do you want?"

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of you. Just come with us."

"Are you with _him?_"

"Hn. You're such a tough girl. Don't get tough too much. If you keep that pain all to yourself, you'll never know when you would explode." He smirked again. "So, why don't you just join us?"

"NO!" She shouted with all her might. Then she ran away from the boy she just met.

The rain poured heavier.

The moist in the forest started to fog up.

"You can run, but you can never hide from me."

"MOVE," the boy coldly said. Shana snapped back to reality. "And try not to bump me again, or else…"

"I-I'm very sorry. I was just—"

'_Wait a minute. Wasn't he the one who ran into me?'_

"Whatever." And with that, he just walked away.

'_Hn. What's with that guy? It's not like I wanted to bump him in the first place, right? In fact, he was even the one who—' _"Shana!" Shana's thoughts were interrupted. She looked to where that voice was, only to find the person she was looking for.

"Roxas!" Shana was finally relieved.

"Hey." Roxas was smiling his signature grin. "So, how have you been lately?"

"I'm good! Never been better."

"That's good to hear." Said Roxas.

"So, would you like to join us for lunch?" Roxas asked with a smile.

"U-us?"


End file.
